How Marijuana Saved My Life & Enhance Your Life: The Podcast
I know I have shared bits and pieces here about my medicinal use of marijuana for mental health, but now you can have some more details of my story and how marijuana really did save my life.
Last January, I had written an article on Medium titled How Marijuana Saved My Life. It offers a detailed account of my personal experience with psychiatric medications to treat Bipolar Disorder and how they were nearly killing me. Over a decade ago, I made the transition off of these medications and started using marijuana in their place, essentially saving me from the miserable side effects and terrible quality of life that came with those medications. You can click the article link above to read it in full.
If you are considering marijuana for the treatment of mental health issues, I recommend consulting your mental health professional first. With marijuana use becoming more socially acceptable as a treatment option, there are a variety of different methods of ingestion as well as so many different strains that serve specific purposes. You could buy pink runtz weed strain or opt for an oil or edible products, for example. Pink Runtz is a rare evenly balanced hybrid strain (50% indica/50% sativa) that is used primarily for the treatment of conditions such as depression, chronic stress or PTSD, and mood swings. I often experience severe morning queasiness due to anxiety and use cannabis for nausea which offers immediate relief. Marijuana products are also effective in treating appetite loss and chronic fatigue.
On the other hand, some people find that just a CBD or THC oil is enough to ease their mental health issues. Terpenes can also be added to promote the specific effects of these oils, although you should always start slow when using with oil, according to Finest Labs. If you are interested in creating your own solventless concentrates for personal use or if you are starting your own line of CBD products, you may look to buy a PurePressure rosin press to obtain the highest yields and the highest quality concentrates possible.
For those who want to avoid the hempy aftertaste that some of these oils can have or who simply would rather take their CBD or THC a different way, there are plenty of edible products out there for you to choose from. One such option for THC consumption is weed gummies which are available in a variety of dosages to ensure that you get the proper amount for your specific needs and tolerance levels. Everyone is different and so people react differently to different products – you just have to find what works best for you. Online dispensaries like https://thedispensary.com/dispensary-in-crested-butte-co/ offer a variety of cannabis and other cannabinoid products in different dosages so there is something for everyone’s THC needs.
Every U.S. State has different regulations regarding the purchase and use of cannabis and cannabis products. If you are a medical marijuana patient, it is important to know what amounts you can purchase legally. There are websites like Arizona’s allotment checker that are dedicated to helping you keep track of your marijuana purchases so you don’t inadvertently exceed the legal limit. Trackers are especially useful if you purchase from multiple dispensaries.
My article on the benefits of marijuana was fairly well received on Medium and my social media platforms, but it didn’t get a ton of exposure, possibly due to its controversial nature. Until a few weeks ago when I received an email from Jonathan Small, the host of Wana’s Enhance Your Life Podcast. Wana Brands is based in Colorado and specializes in cannabis infused products for individuals who wish to enhance their lives physically, creatively, and emotionally through the responsible use of marijuana and other cannabis products.
Jonathan had stumbled upon my Medium article and was inviting me to join him to discuss the benefits of marijuana use for mental health disorders. I will admit that I was super flattered and excited, but incredibly nervous! This is a new podcast (I am only the 21st episode) and the 20 people interviewed before me include NFL running back Reuben Droughns; professional MMA fighter and former Division I soccer player, Brooke Mayo; and Tom Marshall, the primary lyricist and singer for the band Phish. To say that I was completely intimidated to be in the same company as such high profile marijuana advocates would be an understatement!
But I faced my fear and promptly agreed to the interview. Jonathan has the best demeanor and was so super calming and comfortable to have a conversation with that my nerves quickly dissipated. They only returned again when the podcast went live and I had to listen to myself. Am I the only one who cringes at the sound of my own voice?!
In any event, I invite you to go have a read and/or a listen if you are interested in the details of my mental health journey and its inclusion of cannabis as an alteranative treatment. My episode of the Enhance Your Life Podcast is called How Cannabis Helps Michelle Montoro Cope with Bipolar Disorder. I would love to hear your thoughts even if it is just to tell me that you get all cringey at the sound of your own voice, too!
Happy smoking!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
28 Comments
Lovely
How cool! That’s very kind of you to share your experience Shelbee!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! I really appreciate that.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Your voice is exactly as I had imagined! How fabulous that you were asked to talk about it! Great job!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Nancy, thanks so much! Oooh I was cringing the whole time I listened to my interview waiting for the part where I sound like a total idiot! I think he did an amazing job editing it so I didn’t sound completely foolish! LOL
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica
That’s so cool you were on the podcast and I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you 🙂 Marijuana is still illegal here in Australia.
Hope that your week is going well 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mica! The laws around marijuana are changing rapidly here. In some states, it is completely legal for all uses including recreational. In other states, it is only approved for medical use. In many states where it is still illegal, they have decriminalized possession as long as it is less than a certain amount (an amount not considered to be meant for distribution). Right now, it is still illegal on the federal level but I am sure it won’t be long until it is legalized all around. There is too much scientific evidence showing that the benefits of marijuana far outweigh any health risks.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
That’s amazing Shelbee!! So happy for you!!
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jennifer! This was a really cool experience to be able to share my story on a different platform.
xoxo
Shelbee
Barbara
Hey there!
In all honesty, I had a listen mainly be cause I love discovering new podcasts, but then I really loved how the interview patiently deployed into your discovery of cannabis. The journalist wasn’t pushing any agenda and you sounded really relaxed and poised. I don’t think it’s easy to be interviewed at all, so kudos! I hope you enjoyed the experience. Take care!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Barbara, thanks so much! It really is rather intimidating to be interviewed. I have never done anything like this before but I am sure glad that I did! It was a great experience and if my story can help just one person, then I have no regrets!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
How awesome! I am listening to it as I type. As you no doubt know, cannabis is fully legal here in Canada, and oh, such a good thing that is. I’ve been able to stop drinking (I was having some addiction issues with alcohol), and I’ve fully switched to cannabis for my recreation as well as for ameliorating my anxiety. It’s been amazing – especially that it’s now legal – and I am so much more chill and happier. When we traveled to Portland, OR, a couple of years ago (a legal state), my anxiety over travel (SO MUCH anxiety around travel for me) was really getting to me. Thank goodness I found a store near our hotel!
I love hearing your voice – you sound like you. 🙂 Fantastic interview!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Sheila, thank you so much for sharing your experience and for taking the time to listen to the podcast! I used to drink way more before I started smoking pot daily and now I rarely ever want a drink of alcohol. My husband is anxiously awaiting his military retirement so he can switch from booze to pot as well! It is so much healthier for all of us. My nephews both work in the medical marijuana field. One works at a dispensary and the other is in the process of creating his own products in the hopes to start his own business.
I have to tell you that I laughed out loud that you think I sound like me! People who do know me in real life have always told me that I write exactly as I speak and that when they read my writing they hear it in my voice. The fact that you kind of already heard my voice in my writing before ever actually hearing my voice is so cool to me! It sort of lets me know that I have a strong writing voice and that makes me happy to know!
Thanks for being awesome!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I am so excited to listen to this! And also, think it’s very cool that you got to tell your personal success story. I don’t mean to imply that your struggle with bipolar disorder is all a bed of roses now, but it seems a damn sight better than the meds that were making you so sick. May I ask the onset of the bipolar disorder? For some reason, I always think of it as afflicting young adults (as opposed to children), but I really don’t know where I got that impression.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Michelle, thanks so much! I really appreciate your support so much! You are such a wonderful friend. I do talk a little bit about the onset and when I received my diagnosis in the podcast. I was diagnosed at 26. About 6 months after my divorce, I spiraled out of a very long manic phase into a severe mixed episode and that is when I sought treatment for the first time. As you know, just twenty years ago the mental health field was really just starting to become more mainstream and acceptable. So I had to learn a lot on my own about my diagnosis. It was through that process that I realized that I most definitely have suffered from bipolar disorder for my entire life. It’s just that nobody really knew much about it and my parents never sought treatment for me as a child. Most likely because they simply didn’t know. Plus I have always been really good at not letting people know the darkness that sometimes takes over my brain. But I do have very clear recollections of bipolar depression as young as 5 years old. So you are not wrong in your assumption that it tends to have a younger onset. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback and asking questions!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
I listened to the podcast. So very nice and kudos to you for putting yourself out there.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Patrick, thank you so, so much! I really am so grateful that you took the time to listen!
xoxo
Shelbee
Anna Marcus
It was really interesting to hear first hand about alternative treatment for mental disorder. I am glad that you found what works for you. I have one question though, doesn’t the use of it in a long run leads to addiction?
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anna, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and for asking questions! Actually, marijuana has no addictive properties and it is a very safe drug when used responsibly, probably safer than many approved prescription medications. Smoking marijuana can obviously have some long term physical side effects just from the act of smoking itself. However, the smoke is not nearly as harsh on the lungs as smoking nicotine products. But now there are so many other available ways to ingest it that are less harmful than smoking. The way it is consumed is all a matter of preference really.
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
I will give this a listen this weekend Shelbee, no doubt you knocked it out of the park! You are very well spoken on this subject and I am sure your words are going to help someone who really needs it – prescription medication is a slippery slope! Congratulations my friend!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kellyann! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and look forward to your thoughts on the topic! And yes, prescription medication is a very slippery slope indeed.
xoxo
Shelbee
Anna Marcus
Hi Shelbee, thank you for your response. It does sound quite safe as long as people are the responsible users of it. They recently legalized the medical use of marijuana in Australia but it’s use is not hugely publicized or recommended by the medical practitioners. Glad that you found what works for you, mental health is such an important factor of people’s lives and should be addressed. Anna
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anna, thanks again for joining this discussion. I think the safety of most any drug, natural or prescription, depends a lot on the responsible use of it. People become addicted to all sorts of prescription medications that can be extremely harmful and even life threatening. You can overdose and die on a prescribed pain killer, but as far as I know, no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose. I think marijuana is probably one of the safest drugs available and very versatile in what it effectively treats. There are also a whole bunch of studies being done with psychedelics for treatment of addictions, schizophrenia, and other mental health disorders. It is all very fascinating to me especially since many of these natural drugs have been used for medical treatment long before big pharmaceuticals entered the picture. This was a really great discussion. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Great to hear your voice! Glad you found something to help you as the medications are horrible. I can’t smoke but have tried a few high dollar brands of cannabis oil, so far nothing has helped me. Wishing you continued good results.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Dee, thank you so much for this lovely comment and for taking the time to listen to the podcast. That really means so much to me. I haven’t had results with most of the oils either. And if you are needing it for pain, I definitely don’t think the oils are strong enough. I have had some luck with homemade oils for anxiety but it doesn’t seem to do much for pain. I hope you are able to find something soon that will help you.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jessica A Jannenga
Hi Shelbee
I have read part of your article and will read the rest tonight. I applaud you for going on the podcast, that is awesome, bringing awareness to different mental illnesses and how you dealt with bipolar with marajuana. So glad you found something that works for you and can help manage the condition. It must have been a thrill! Give yoursef a pat on the back for doing the podcast!
jess xx
thanks for linking!
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jess! I have been a secret pot smoker for so long that it is really wonderful to be able to be more open about it. There is still a lot of judgment around using marijuana for mental health so I am still a little wary when I come forward publicly about it. But then I have moments of empowerment where I say forget what others think, this thing works for me and I will not be bullied into feeling ashamed about it. Yes, people do try that tactic! This was a cool experience and I am glad I agreed to the podcast interview. Thanks for checking it out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Valerie h Hansen
My mother struggled with Mental health her whole life and the prescription meds ruined her, she passed sadly at 93 in Jan from being in a delerium caused by so many meds in her system all those years, had she lived by me, I couldv’e helped her manage this better…so sad 🙁
I am glad you found a solution that works! …it would not be a solution for me tho, I hate cannabis lol and I have heard recently on health sites that long term use can affect your heart…
Each to their own tho…
Best to you Shelbee
Valerie
http://www.mapleleopard.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Valerie. I am sure it must have been difficult to see your mother struggle all those years. I find the benefits of cannabis use far outweigh the risks for me. Long term stress and anxiety were much worse for my heart than smoking pot could ever be. In fact, I was on blood pressure medicine until I switched to more regular pot use. Now my blood pressure is healthy and normal. But yes, we each need to find what works best for us! Thanks for sharing your story and experience, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee